James and Cameron Gray spent their childhoods working with motorbikes, boats and any other engine they could get their hands on.
Years later in 2011, the twin brothers’ mechanical skills and experience in fields such as electronics and coal mining saw them start Recon Industries Australia in Newcastle.
“We were really good at pulling stuff apart,” James says. “The old man was a boiler maker, so he was always building stuff as well. He does a bit of work for us.”
Recon Industries manufactures specialised machinery and equipment, including tracked and wheeled loaders and carriers, and wheeled airport equipment such as electric tugs. It has 4-5 staff and contractors around Australia.
James and Cameron are qualified electrical fitters and service the niche purpose-built mobile machinery market. Each job is custom made with care, creativity and quality parts. They only use DEUTZ engines.
These usually include DEUTZ TD 2011 L04I and the TCD2013 L04 2V engines for markets that allow Tier 3, and higher emission standard engines in more regulated markets.
For a recent Dirt and Diesel expo, they built an MLHD Series 2 with a DEUTZ engine and land clearing head. It can operate on steep slopes and terrain that standard machinery cannot reach but is light enough to be towed by a 4×4 ute.
“We only use high quality components from trusted and reputable suppliers, and through our OEM status we have fantastic support from our suppliers,” James says.
Recon Industries prides itself on its flexibility in meeting customers’ exact requirements. James and Cameron also ensure that the machinery has a very high return on investment (ROI).
James and Cameron, who are both volunteer firefighters with the NSW Rural Fire Service, say DEUTZ engines are reliable and the aftermarket support excellent.
“The high quality, durability and long life that the DEUTZ engines have is paramount to the successful operation of our machinery range,” James says. “The quality is second to none.
“DEUTZ always wants to help and will go the extra mile to ensure that whatever challenges are presented a workable solution will be found. We could not recommend them highly enough.”